Windmill



(NaModel.)

P. mmm@ WINDMILL.

Patented May 19,1885.

Mfg/)messes UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN FANNING, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

WINDMILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 318,175, dated May19,1885.

Application filed March 11, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN FANNING, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at St. Joseph, in the countyof Buchanan and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWindmills, of which the following specification is a full, clear, andexact description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisdescription, and in which like letters indicate like elements, Figure lrepresents a top planview of a windmill embodying my invention 5 andFig. 2, avertical section on the line A B, Fig. 1.

My invention relates to that type of windmills known as horizontalmills,7 in that they revolve horizontally on a vertical shaft.

The object of my invention is to produce a horizontal mill withoutspecial complications of structure, and one that shall utilize a largepercentage of the effective power of the wind and at the same timeautomatically adjust itself to the varying velocity of the wind. Afurther object is to furnish reliable and easilymanipulated meanswhereby the mill may be thrown in and out of operation.

I aim cto accomplish these objects by the construction set forth in thisdescription and illustrated in the drawings annexed.

The features of novelty embraced in my invention, and for which I seekprotection, are pointed out in the claims at the end of thisspecification.

The small arrows in Fig. l show the direction of the wind,while thelarger curved arrow indicates the direction in which the mill isrevolving.

C lis an upright shaft-the main shaft of the mill. It is suitablysecured in bearings in a frame-work or tower of ordinary construction.

rlhe letter a represents arms-in this instance two sets of eighteach-which are attached, one set above the other, to the cast spiders bb, secured to the upright main shaft C, as shown. The arms a arestiffened vertically by the braces d d and the suspension-rods e e,these braces and suspension-rods forming a truss for supporting theweight of the sails,4 which is rested upon pivotsat the ends of thelower arms, as clearly shown in the drawings. The sails are indicated byFigs. 1 to 8, both inclusive. They are pivoted at one side of theircenters and swing between the two sets of arms above mentioned. They areprovided with cranks f, attached to their upper pivotshafts above theupper arms. When the mill is in gear for working,the sails are held inposition for propelling the wheel by the rods g, one foreach sail, oneend of each rod being attached to a crank, f, and the opposite ends 6oto the bent levers h, one for each rod, the short arm of the leversbeing resisted from an upward movement by the spiral springs t'. If thewind blows too hard, these spiral springs are compressed by the upwardmovement of the short arms of the levers h, which allows the sails togive way before the wind and adjust themselves to the pressure, theaction and stiffness of the springs i acting as a governor or balance toequalize the power of the wheel 7c while being operated upon by thevarying wind-pressure. The lower ends ofthe springs v3 rest upon theenlarged heads of the sleeves j, which slide upon the rods k, theirheight being adjusted by the nuts Z on the screwthreaded portions of'therods 7e. The stiffness of these springs is adjusted and the consequentworking power of the mill increased or diminished according to the workrequired to be done by the movement of the nuts m 8o upward and downwardon screwthreaded portions of the rods k. The rods kpass through holes inthe upper and lower spiders, b b, and are attached at their upper andlower ends to weights a a, which weights are made suffi- The operationof the parts which have just 9o I been described is clearly illustatedin Fig. 1 of the drawings. The sails l, 2, 3, and 4. are receiving theforce ofthe wind to propel the wheel in the direction of the largecurved arrow. The sail 5 has just reversed its position 95 before thewind, as is seen by comparing the positions of the cranks of 4 and 5.The sails 67, and 8 are flying loose in the wind, the

short arms of the i levers (h) operating withV them, being, as aconsequence, below the 10o heads of the sleeves j, and havingafreemovement up and down to that height.

To throw the mill out of gear and stop its working, the cord or wire o,which extends below the top of the tower, within reach of the attendant,and is attached to the lever p, suitably fulcrumed on the tower, ispulled down. This has the effect of raising the Weights n n, togetherwith the rods k, springs fi, sleeves j, and nuts Z m, thereby removingthe resistance and leaving an unobstructed course for the play of theshort arms of the levers h up and down. This permits all the sails toswing free and shift about in the wind at will.

I have shown in the embodiment of my in vention presented eight sailsand their attachments; but it is plain that any number more or less thaneight can be used, each sail being supplied with its complement ofattachments, as herein explained.

The precise function of every part of my invention is so fullyillustrated in the acconr panying drawings that no further descriptionof their operation is deemed requisite in this specification.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. In a horizontal windmill provided with a series of arms, such as a, aset ofsails, as described, .in combination with cranks f, rods g, bentlevers h, rods Zr, and means, substantially as shown, for governing andregulating the sails.

2. The set of sails provided with cranks f, in combination with rods g,bent levers h, and rods k, provided with springs v3, whereby thepressure from the levers h is connteracted or resisted, substantially asherein set forth.

3. The rod k, in combination with the spring Z, nut Z, and nut m,whereby the position of the spring on the rod is regulated and therequisite degree of stiffness thereofmaintained, substanti ally asherein set forth.

4. The bent lever h, in combination with the screw-threaded rod 7a andsliding sleeve j, whereby the lever is permitted to move up and downupon the rod without liability of injury thereto, substantially asherein set forth.

5. The bent lever h and rod Za, in combination with the headed sleeve j,spring z', nut Z, and nut m, substantially as herein set forth.

6. The bent levers h,and the rods la, carrying the springs, sleeves, andnuts, as described, in combination with the weights n n', whereby thelifting force of the levers in compressing the said springs is resisted,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The rod 7c, provided with the sleeves, springs, and nuts, asdescribed, in combination with the weights a n and spiders b Z2,substantially as herein set forth.

8. The rods k, provided with means for resisting the force of thesail-levers, as described, in combination with the weights n a', and thelever p, fulcrumed on the tower, whereby the mill may be easily thrownin and out of gear, substantially as herein set forth.

FRANKLIN FANNING.

Vitnesses:

JosErH ANDRIANO, FRANCIS M. TUrTs.

